CARLISLE, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (8-8, 1-0 CC) opened up the 2024 Centennial Conference slate on strong footing, taking a 3-0 sweep of host Dickinson (9-6, 1-2 CC) at the Kline Center. Set scores for the match were 25-10, 25-23, and 25-18.
Sophomore Gia Frank tallied a team-high eight kills on 18 attacks, while Taylor Jones hit .417 with six kills against just one error. Izabela Potocnjak added six kills and three service aces while Eliana Brown notched five kills and matched a Fords-best with eight digs. Fiona Moord (four block assists, one block solo) paced the blocking effort for Haverford.
The visitors came out with perhaps the best possible start to CC play imaginable, with a sustained 10-0 run out of the gates as Cameryn DeBlecourt toed the service line during the run. The stretch featured four blocks from the Fords, as Frank had the lone Haverford kill in the stretch. The hot start was enough to propel Haverford to a commanding 22-5 lead, before a late 4-0 Dickinson run made things just a bit closer. Caroline Lucas found the floor with a kill before a block from Frank and Moord to end the frame at 25-10. The Fords held Dickinson to a -.345 hitting percentage in the stanza, as the Red Devils made 15 attacking errors.
Dickinson looked to regroup in the second, but Haverford made sure it would be a challenge, as they again rattled off a strong start to the set, going up 6-0 and eventually taking an 8-2 cushion before Dickinson found its rhythm for the first time, knotting the score at 11-11. The score was knotted at 14-14, and Dickinson was within one following an Amelia Kim kill at 19-18. Lucas later responded with a kill before Potocnjak delivered back-to-back aces. From that point, the Fords were able to pull away after a Dickinson timeout, with Brown finding a kill and a Dickinson error giving the Fords set point. A late run by the Red Devils was eventually halted by a service error, allowing the Fords to take the 25-23 win.
In the third, Haverford took the lead in the opening moments, behind a 6-2 run with Kira Chaney at the service line. The Red Devils pushed back, pulling to within one following back-to-back kills from Amelia Kim at 12-11, and from that point, things were a bit closer until the Fords were able to open up a 18-14 cushion. Dickinson rallied to back within three, but the Fords took a six-point lead at 23-17 following a block from Maggie Turner and Fiona Moord. The Fords were at match point after a Moord kill, and a kill from Brown sealed a big CC win to open an all-important October slate.
The Fords now return to action with the next two contests at home. Haverford will host a 1 p.m. showdown with Gettysburg on Saturday, October 12, before welcoming Washington College to Gooding '84 Arena for a midweek nightcap at 7 p.m. on October 16.